BART: Minor Delays This Weekend As Work Crews Continue Repairs
OAKLAND (KCBS) — BART work crews continued on Saturday to repair equipment that failed on Friday during the morning commute causing major system-wide delays.
The delays started at around 9 a.m. Friday when a device, known as a mux box, that helps regulate train speeds inside the Transbay Tube, failed.
BART spokeswoman Alicia Trost said operators had to switch to manual control through the affected area and trains that normally travel between 70 and 80 miles per hour could only go 26 miles an hour.
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Trost said that despite expecting the work to last though the day and evening, there should only be minor delays.
"The good news is that we fixed about 25 percent of the problem which means that the section of track that trains have to travel at reduced speed is significantly shorter than it was yesterday—which is why we are seeing the three to four minute delays," she said.
"We are not going to send crew wayside until it's the lease disruptive times for our riders; there are some games today and a lot of other activities."
The mux boxes, Trost said, are 40 years old—like much of BART's equipment—and are in serious need of replacing. Money raised through a fare increase earlier this year is earmarked for major track upgrades in the years to come.
